North Melbourne have appointed midfielder and previous co-captain Jy Simpkin as the sole skipper of the football club ahead of the 2025 season.
Simpkin has led the Roos as co-captain for the last two seasons alongside defender Luke McDonald, however, McDonald stepped aside from his leadership position last week prior to the captaincy vote.
Since being drafted in 2016, Simpkin has played 152 games for the Roos, averaging 20.4 disposals per game.
Simpkin and McDonald's co-captaincy was the first in North Melbourne's history, although short-lived, as the Roos turn back to their traditional sole captain for the 2025 season.
Joining the 26-year-old in the leadership group are Nick Larkey and Harry Sheezel, who were voted in by their teammates.
Larkey was elevated to vice-captain in 2024 after a standout 2023 saw him earn an All-Australian selection, while Harry Sheezel has demonstrated high maturity since his debut season, becoming a formal leader at just 20 years of age.
Simpkin said he was grateful for the opportunity to lead from the front again in 2025.
"(Todd Viney), Clarko and Kane Johnson pulled me aside into a room and told me I'd been voted to be the standalone captain which was very exciting," Simpkin said.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity, the trust of the boys to continue to have me at the top end with 'Sheez' and 'Larks'. I'm very grateful and looking forward to the season ahead.
"Last week (Luke McDonald) and told me he was gonna stand down as captain. He spoke to me and said it's my time to take control and lead the club if it felt that way, along with 'Larks', 'Sheez' and these guys.
"We all love 'L Mac', he's such a selfless guy, he wears his heart on his sleeve... all the players and teammates love him. It was a very selfless move and forever grateful for the connection and work we've had together over the past two years."
Simpkin said he was keen to work alongside Larkey and Sheezel, hinting at future promotions for the youngest counterpart in the future.
The 2022 Pick 3 has spoken on his ambitions to lead the Kangaroos one day and the vice-captaincy position is a step towards achieving his aims.
"Sheez is just the ultimate professional... eventually one day it's probably his team to lead so we'll keep developing him until the time is right," Simpkin said.
"I'm looking forward to keep learning from Sheez and keep trying to teach him as much as possible."
McDonald also spoke with the club about how his decision to relinquish the co-captaincy came about.
"I spent a fair bit of time over Christmas just thinking about the footy club and myself moving forward," McDonald said.
"I had some good chats with people close to me, and last week I came in and had a chat to 'Clarko' about moving forward, and I just felt the time was right to step down as captain.
"I just feel the club is in such an unbelievable position, we've got such great stability off the field. But more importantly, I feel like there's guys right in the prime of their career and are leaning into that leadership space, and I feel like it's the right time to hand the keys over to them."
North Melbourne general manager Todd Viney was proud to announce the reformed leadership group for next season, and commended McDonald for his service as co-captain.
โJy, Nick and Harry are outstanding leaders for our club and received strong support from the players and coaches,โ Viney said.
โJy has taken great strides forward in his leadership capabilities over the last two seasons, supported by Luke McDonald and is well placed to lead as a standalone captain.
โThe standard Harry has set since he walked into the club has been quite remarkable for his young age,ย and Nick continues to be a clear standout leader in our group.
โIn addition to the three key leadership positions, we are fortunate to have a group of established and emerging leaders to give us additional depth and capabilities in this area.
โWe have actively sought to bring experience into our club with the likes of Luke Parker, Caleb Daniel and Jack Darling and their extensive leadership experience, along with the strong leaders within the group,ย such as Griffin Logue,ย Tristanย Xerri, Cam Zurhaar, Bailey Scott, Aidan Corr, Luke Davies-Uniacke and of course, Luke McDonald.
โAs we've come to expect with Luke, he demonstrated great leadership when he decided that it was time for him to move away from the captaincy role and support the next group of leaders coming through.
โLuke has been an exceptional leader for our club. His experience has been critical for us in recent years with a relatively young group, his strong connection across the whole club has supported our โone club' ethos, and I know he will continue his leadership on and off the field by supporting Jy, Harry and Nick in their roles.โ
Simpkin will lead the Roos solo for the first time in their Community Series clash against West Coast, before their Round 1 matchup against the Bulldogs.
